Lysosome

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Lysosomes play an important part in the function of a living cell. In this tutorial, you will learn about the structure and function of a lysosome, and how it uses enzymes to break down molecules, such as food molecules for the cell to use.

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Tutorial

Lysosomes

The function of a lysosome in a cell is to break down certain materials in the cell. This can range from food particles to waste products to old cell parts. The lysosomes are small round membrane bound vacuoles filled with enzymes which are what allows them to aid in the breakdown of materials. Lysosomes can be found floating around in the cytoplasm of the cell. When nutrients enter the cell the lysosomes will break down those nutrients so the cell can then process them to make energy or ATP.